Turkey Holds Talks With Russia and Ukraine After Mine Discovered in Bosphorus Strait

The Turkish Ministry of Defence previously urged ships in the Black Sea to beware of drifting mines, after the Ukrainian military installed around 420 mines on the approaches to the ports of Odessa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhnoe.

The Turkish MoD on Saturday announced that a strange "mine-like object", discovered at the entrance to the Bosphorus by fishermen earlier in the day, had been neutralised.

"Following the discovery of a mine-like object by a civilian commercial vessel, on the morning of March 26, 2022, in the coastal zone of the Bosphorus, units of the underwater defense (SAS) were promptly sent to the scene. The mine-like object in question was placed under guard by the SAS teams and an intervention was carried out to neutralise it", the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that Ankara held talks with Russia and Ukraine regarding the incident later in the day.

The movement of ships through the Bosphorus was temporarily suspended, but resumed later in the day.

A video purportedly showing the said mine has since emerged online.

İstanbul Boğaz’da mayın görüldüğü söyleniyor. pic.twitter.com/dHWUmIOqbS

— Cevher 🇹🇷 (@cpt_cevher) March 26, 2022

İstanbul Boğazı'nın Karadeniz girişinde balıkçılar tarafından mayın benzeri yüzer bir cisim tespit edildi.

Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı ve SAS Komandoları cismi incelemek için çalışma başlattı. pic.twitter.com/aQsHqNorSU

— MaviVatan.net (@mavivatannet) March 26, 2022

In the meantime, reports suggest that another mine has been spotted near the popular tourist destination of Agva.

Previously, reports suggested that multiple mines installed by Ukraine in the Black Sea, had left their anchors due to a storm and drifted away, posing a danger to ships in the Turkish straits.